Mine reads: Continued involvement of a discreditable nature with civilian and military authorities. I was nineteen years old when I watched the Yeoman First Class type those words, and all I could think to say was, “Oh, come on now.”

I was drunk in the bathtub, struggling to recall how many little pills I had choked down. "There's the goddamn warning they should mention in those pharmaceutical ads on TV: 'Could be difficult to count when trying to end it all. Ask your doctor if you're healthy enough…

In his dreams, he swam in piles of pills. Sometimes the piles were infinite, other times the were contained, tonight the pills were intense shiny reds, chalky yellows, deep blues and matte purples and swirled around in a children's inflatable castle. Derek swam happily,…

Hi. I'm Shirley. I'm not here to help you. You might think because I wear this ticky-tack name badge that I'm your servant. But I'm not. I'm here at K-mart because my grandson said I need to get out of the house. I wish he'd get out of my house. Here are some survival tips…

You left for the bathroom over twenty minutes ago. I started to think you're not coming back. Because who does that? Who goes into a bathroom in a restaurant and doesn't come back after twenty minutes?…

“Can I?” Lily asked.
I gave her a nod. She tore at the package with greedy fingers. As the paper fell away to reveal yet another self-help volume, Lily cocked her head in a gesture of confusion and curiosity. Following her gaze to the lipstick-red

Dad always claimed he never saw me coming. He insisted he never knew Mom was pregnant until the day she dropped me. He liked to joke about it—the baby no one knew was coming. Mom didn't like that sick streak in his humor, but I did, and tried to get him to make…

“Hey man,” this shadow shimmied up beside Brett heaving ether breath. Brett saw but he didn’t see him in the way you see movement in the corner of your vision, an annoyance, an eyelash in the eye. He didn’t want to turn to engage this man, he didn

IN BOX 12 OF DD FORM 214, the Department of Defense requires a narrative reason for every military discharge. Mine reads: Continued involvement of a discreditable nature with civilian and military authorities.